Radio frequency identification of a connector by a patch panel or other similar structure

ABSTRACT

The device includes a fiber optic cable, a transponder, an antenna, and a transceiver. The transponder is attached to a fiber optic connector of the fiber optic cable. The transceiver is electrically connected to the antenna, the transceiver is able to activate the transponder thus enabling the transceiver to read the information deposited with the transponder. Information deposited with the transponder can include information related to the length of the fiber optic cable, information related to the industrial standard to which the fiber optic connector conforms, information related to the predetermined optical fiber grade of the optical fiber of the fiber optic cable, information related to the specific purchase date of the fiber optic cable, or information related to the warranty of the fiber optic cable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to radio frequency identificationdevices. The invention more particularly concerns the radio frequencyidentification of a connector by a patch panel.

2. Discussion of the Background

Radio frequency identification devices (RFID) are known in the art.Typically, radio frequency identification systems incorporate an antennaor coil, a transceiver (with decoder), and a transponder (RF tag). Oftentimes the antenna and the transceiver are packaged together so as toform a reader or interrogator. The transponder includes a transponderantenna and an integrated circuit chip attached to the transponderantenna. The antenna or coil emits a radio wave which induces anelectrical current in the antenna of the transponder. The electricalcurrent then activates the integrated circuit chip of the transponder.The integrated circuit chip can then transmit information through theantenna of the transponder via radio waves back to the antenna or coil.Information can be stored on the integrated circuit as either read onlymemory or read/write memory.

Radio frequency identification devices can be either active or passive.An active system includes a transponder which contains its own powersource. In contrast, in a passive system the transponder obtains theenergy from the radio waves emanating from the antenna or coil so as toenable the transponder to operate and transmit information. Atransponder operating in accordance with the active system is able totransmit information to the antenna or coil over a greater distance thanis a transponder operating in accordance with the passive system.However, the transponder operating in accordance with the active systemis larger than the transponder operating in accordance with the passivesystem. Furthermore, typically transponders operating in accordance withthe passive system contain integrated circuit chips that have read onlymemory. Examples of radio frequency identification components arepresented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,626; 5,448,110; 6,118,379; 6,147,655;6,424,263; 6,429,831; 6,445,297; 6,451,154; and 6,677,917. U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,206,626; 5,448,110; 6,118,379; 6,147,655; 6,424,263; 6,429,831;6,445,297; 6,451,154; and 6,677,917 are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

Connectors and panels or patch panels are also known in the art. Knownconnectors include fiber optic connectors and electrically conductiveconnectors. An electrically conductive connector can be attached toelectrically conductive cable such as copper based cable, or theelectrical conductive connector can be integrated into a device such asan optoelectronic device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,063 discloses electricalconnectors and cables, and an optoelectronic device. U.S. Pat. No.6,350,063 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 1 is aperspective view of an electrical connector 120 attached to anelectrically conductive cable 122. Also shown is a complementaryreceptacle 130 into which the electrical connector 120 mates. FIG. 2 isa perspective view of another version of an electrical connector 140.The connector 140 is shown from a first perspective and a secondperspective. FIG. 2 also discloses another version of a complementaryreceptacle 150. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an optoelectronic device160 which includes a fiber optic connector 170 and an electricalconnector 180. The background material provided below concentrates onfiber optic connectors.

The front panel of a host device has many receptacles. Each receptacleaccepts at least an individual fiber optic cable. The other end of thefiber optic cable connects to another device. The fiber optic cable canhave a length of a few meters or of a few kilometers. A host device canaccommodate a few hundred fiber optic cables. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,233,674,and 5,481,634 disclose a fiber optic cable having a fiber opticconnector. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,233,674, and 5,481,634 are herebyincorporated herein by reference. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of afiber optic cable 30 having a fiber optic connector 10. Attached to thefiber optic connector 10 is a strain relief boot 20. Formed as part ofthe optic connector is a release lever 40. FIG. 5 is a perspective viewof the fiber optic cable 30 of FIG. 4 taken from another angle where aferrule 50 is exposed. The fiber optic connector 10 conforms to the LCstyle of fiber optic connectors.

Experience has shown that a fiber optic cable can be inadvertentlydetached from the host device, or that the optical fiber within thefiber optic cable breaks and the fiber optic cable no longer transmitslight energy to the host device. In such instances, a worker must go andlook at the panel of the host device and determine which cable is nolonger transmitting light signals to the host device either because theoptical fiber is broken or the fiber optic cable is detached from thehost device. When two or more fiber optic cables are malfunctioning, theworker's job becomes very burdensome and time consuming since there arehundreds of fiber optic cables to examine. Furthermore, a device orperson is not receiving information conveyed by the malfunctioning fiberoptic cable. Thus, organization of the cables, including the fiber opticcables and the copper based cables, in the vicinity of the panel is ofgreat interest to the operators of the host devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which facilitatesthe identification of a specific connector or cable relative to aspecific location on a panel.

In one form of the invention the device includes a cable, a transponder,a panel, an antenna, and a transceiver. The transponder is attached tothe cable. The antenna is positioned adjacent to the panel. Thetransceiver is electrically connected to the antenna. In operation, whenthe transponder is placed close enough to the antenna, the transceiveris able to activate the transponder thus enabling the transponder toread the information deposited with the transponder. The cable can be afiber optic cable or cable based on an electrically conductive materialsuch as copper.

In another form of the invention, the device includes a cable, atransponder, a substrate, an antenna, and a transceiver. The transponderis attached to the cable. The antenna is attached to the substrate. Thesubstrate is adapted for attachment to a panel of a host device. Thetransceiver is electrically connected to the antenna so as to form areader or interrogator. The cable can be a fiber optic cable or cablebased on an electrically conductive material such as copper.

In still yet another form of the invention, the device includes a cable,a transponder, a substrate, an antenna, and a transceiver. The cableincludes a connector. The transponder is attached to the connector. Theantenna is attached to the substrate. The substrate is adapted forattachment to a panel of a host device. The transceiver is electricallyconnected to the antenna so as to form a reader or interrogator which iscapable of activating and interrogating the transponder when thetransponder is sufficiently close to the antenna. The cable can be afiber optic cable or a cable based on an electrically conductivematerial such as copper. Likewise, the connector is a fiber opticconnector when a fiber optic cable is used, and the connector is anelectrically conductive connector when an electrically conductive cableis used.

In yet still another form of the invention the device includes anoptoelectronic device, a transponder, a panel, an antenna, and atransceiver. The optoelectronic device includes a connector whichconveys energy along electrically conductive materials housed within theconnector. The transponder is attached to the optoelectronic device. Theantenna is positioned adjacent to the panel. The transceiver iselectrically connected to the antenna. In operation, when thetransponder is placed close enough to the antenna, the transceiver isable to activate the transponder thus enabling the transponder to readthe information deposited with the transponder.

Thus, the invention achieves the objectives set forth above. Theinvention provides a device which is able to determine the associationbetween a specific location on a panel and a specific connector or cablewhether it be fiber optic or electrically conductive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a copper based electrical connector anda complementary receptacle, the electrical connector is attached to acopper based electrical cable;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another version of the electricalconnector and complementary receptacle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an optoelectronic transceiver which hasan optical connector end and an electrical connector end;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a known fiber optic cable and connectorassembly;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fiber optic cable and connectorassembly of FIG. 4 taken from another angle;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the combination of the fiber optic cableand the transponder;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the combination of the fiber optic cableand the transponder of FIG. 6 taken from another angle;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a panel of a patch panel or of a host device;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the panel of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial front view of a substrate having apertures andcoils or antennas;

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of the combination of the fiber opticcable having the transponder of FIGS. 6 and 7 connected to the panel ofFIGS. 8 and 9 of a host device where the panel includes the substrate ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an electrical schematic of the electromagnetic interactionbetween the transponder and the reader or interrogator;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the combination of the electricallyconductive, copper based cable of FIG. 1 and the transponder;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the combination of the electricallyconductive, copper based cable of FIG. 2 and the transponder; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the combination of the optoelectronicdevice of FIG. 3 and the transponder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and moreparticularly to FIGS. 6-15 thereof, embodiments of the present inventionare displayed therein.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fiber optic cable 30 having a fiberoptic connector 10. The fiber optic connector 10 includes a releaselever 40. Attached to the fiber optic connector 10 is a strain reliefboot 20. Also attached to, or mounted on or in, the fiber opticconnector 10 is a transponder 70. The transponder 70 can be affixed tothe fiber optic connector 10 with an adhesive material or a clip (notshown). The clip physically squeezes or clamps the transponder 70 to thefiber optic connector 10. Alternatively, the transponder 70 can beinsert molded into the body of the fiber optic connector 10.Furthermore, the transponder 70 can be attached to fiber opticconnectors which are already in-service.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fiber optic cable 30 of FIG. 6 takenfrom another angle. The view of the fiber optic cable 30 of FIG. 7exposes the ferrule 50. The fiber optic connector 10 generally conformsto the LC standard, however, the fiber optic connector can also beconstructed to conform to any other standard such as SC, and ST. Theferrule 50 is a single fiber ferrule, however multi-fiber ferrules andconnectors can also be employed. Additionally, the fiber optic connectorcan be of its own unique design. Furthermore, the optical fiberterminated at the ferrule 50 can be any one of a single mode fiber, amultimode fiber, a polarization maintaining fiber, or any other type ofoptical fiber.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a panel 80. The panel 80 can belong to a patchpanel device, a host device, or some other similar structure. The panel80 has a front surface or face 84. The panel 80 includes many apertures82, 83, 87, 88, and 89. FIG. 9 is a side view of the panel 80 whichexposes the rear edge 86. By way of example, the aperture 82 allows thefiber optic connector 10 to pass beyond the front surface 84 of thepanel 80 so as to gain access to the host device. The release latch 40of the fiber optical connector 10 is used to secure the fiber opticconnector 10 to the host device. Upon depressing the release lever 40the fiber optic connector 10 can be removed from the hot device.

FIG. 10 is a partial front view of a substrate 90 having apertures 92,94, 96, 98, and coils or antennas 93, 95, 97, 99. Each coil or antenna93, 95, 97, 99 surrounds a respective aperture 92, 94, 96, 98. The coilsor antennas 93, 95, 97, 99 are made of a suitable electricallyconductive material such as copper. The coils or antennas 93, 95, 97, 99are adhered or attached to a substrate or are sandwiched between twosubstrates. Typically, the coils or antennas 93, 95, 97, 99 are attachedto the substrate with an adhesive material. The substrates are typicallymade of non-conductive or insulative materials such as mylar or othersuitable polymer materials. Any number of apertures may be used.However, in this application the number of apertures 92, 94, 96, 98 ofthe substrate 90 should be of approximately the same size and have thesame orientation and spacing as the apertures 87, 88, 89, 83 of thepanel 80. U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,050 discloses a method of constructing asubstrate, where the substrate includes conductive paths such as coilsor antennas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,050 is hereby incorporated herein byreference. The antennas can be affixed originally to the panel 80, or inan alternative, as explained above, the antennas are part of thesubstrate 90 which can be mounted to a panel 80 of a host device whichis already in-service.

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of the substrate 90 being locatedadjacent to the front surface 84 of the panel 80 of the host device 110where the fiber optic connector 10 is plugged into the host device 110.During assembly, the substrate 90 can be placed adjacent to the frontsurface 84 of the panel 80 by an adhesive material or clips or othermethods of attachment well known in the art.

In practice, for example, a fiber optic connector 10 is inserted intoand through aperture 92 of the substrate 90 and through aperture 87 ofthe panel 80 so as to engage the fiber optic connector 10 with the hostdevice 110. Once installed, the antenna or coil 93 encircles a portionof the fiber optic connector 10 in the plane of the substrate 90. Thetransponder 70 is close enough to the antenna or coil 93 so that theradio waves, or electromagnetic power 104, emanating from antenna orcoil 93 induce an electrical current in the transponder antenna 72 (seeFIG. 12) of the transponder 70. The energy and frequency of theelectrical signal running though the antenna or coil 93 is provided by atransceiver 102 (see FIG. 12) which is electrically connected toantennas or coils 93, 95, 97, and 99. The combination of an antenna anda transceiver is known as a reader or interrogator.

FIG. 12 is an electrical schematic of the electromagnetic interactionbetween the transponder 70 and the reader or interrogator (93, 102).Once the transponder 70 is energized by the power from the transceiver102, the transponder sends information, which was previously stored onits integrated circuit chip, to the transceiver 102 via radio waves. Theradio waves leave the transponder antenna 72 and are received by theantenna or coil 92. The induced electrical signal is then carried to thetransceiver 102 for storage or manipulation of the data supplied by thetransponder 70.

Examples of information which can be stored in the transponder 70include the following information: the length of the fiber optic cableto which the transponder is attached; the date of purchase of the fiberoptic cable to which the transponder is attached; the type or style offiber optic connector to which the transponder is attached; the type ofwarranty associated with the fiber optic cable to which the transponderis attached; the type, style, or grade of optic fiber housed within thefiber optic cable to which the transponder; and/or a uniqueidentification number or serialization number or code which uniquelyidentifies a specific fiber optic cable.

Thus, if the fiber optic cable goes dark because the optical fiberhoused within the fiber optic cable is broken, then the host device 110,through the transceiver 102, can pinpoint the location of themalfunctioning fiber optic cable. The malfunctioning fiber optic cablecan then be repaired or replaced. Additionally, the device provides asystem operator with the ability to monitor the number and location ofthe fiber optic connectors attached to the host device.

A second embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIGS. 13 and 14.FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an electrical connector 120 to which isattached a transponder 70. The electrical connector 120 mates with areceptacle 130 which is mounted behind a panel (not shown). The paneland, if necessary, the associated substrate are constructed and operateas discussed above in regard to the first embodiment of the invention.Thus, when the electrical connector 120 which is associated with theelectrical cable 122 is plugged into the host device, the antenna orcoil associated with the host device will receive information from thetransponder 70 mounted to the electrical connector 120. The transponder70 can be attached to the electrical connector 120 by way of an adhesivematerial, a clip, or the transponder 70 can be insert molded into thebody of the electrical connector 120. The transponder 70 can be attachedto electrical connectors out in the field.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another version of the electricconnector shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 14 provides two perspective views ofelectric connector 140 to which is attached transponder 70. Also shownis receptacle 150 which accepts electrical connector 140. Again, thepanel of the host device is not shown for reasons of clarity. Note thatthe disclosed electrical connectors 120, 140 are used for illustrationpurposes only. The embodiment of the invention encompasses theattachment or mounting of a transponder to any type or style ofelectrical connector.

A third embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 15. FIG. 15 isa perspective view of an optoelectronic device 160 to which is attacheda transponder 70. The optoelectronic device 160 includes a fiber opticconnector 170 and an electrical connector 180. In use, theoptoelectronic device 160 has its electrical connector 180 attached tohost device through a panel of the host device similar to the attachmentof the optical fibers to the host device as discussed above in theexplanation of the first embodiment of the invention. Thus, the antennaassociated with the panel activates the transponder 70 of theoptoelectronic device 160. The tranponder 70 can be attached tooptoelectronic devices 160 which are in use, or the transponder 70 canbe insert molded or mounted within the housing of the optoelectronicdevice 160. Note that the disclosed optoelectronic device 160 is usedfor illustration purposes only. The embodiment of the inventionencompasses the attachment or mounting of a transponder to any type orstyle of optoelectronic device.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

1-29. (canceled)
 30. A device comprising: a fiber optic cable having afiber optic connector; a transponder attached to the fiber opticconnector; an antenna; and a transceiver electrically connected to theantenna so as to form a reader which is capable of activating andinterrogating the transponder when the transponder is sufficiently closeto the antenna, and wherein the fiber optic cable has a length, andwherein the transponder includes information related to the length ofthe fiber optic cable.
 31. A device comprising: a fiber optic cablehaving a fiber optic connector; a transponder attached to the fiberoptic connector; an antenna; and a transceiver electrically connected tothe antenna so as to form a reader which is capable of activating andinterrogating the transponder when the transponder is sufficiently closeto the antenna, and wherein the fiber optic connector conforms to anindustrial standard, and wherein the transponder includes informationrelated to the industrial standard.
 32. A device comprising: a fiberoptic cable having a fiber optic connector; a transponder attached tothe fiber optic connector; an antenna; and a transceiver electricallyconnected to the antenna so as to form a reader which is capable ofactivating and interrogating the transponder when the transponder issufficiently close to the antenna, and wherein the fiber optic cableincludes an optical fiber, and wherein the optical fiber conforms to apredetermined optical fiber grade, and wherein the transponder includesinformation related to the predetermined optical fiber grade of theoptical fiber of the fiber optic cable.
 33. A device comprising: a fiberoptic cable having a fiber optic connector; a transponder attached tothe fiber optic connector; an antenna; and a transceiver electricallyconnected to the antenna so as to form a reader which is capable ofactivating and interrogating the transponder when the transponder issufficiently close to the antenna, and wherein the fiber optic cable waspurchased on a specified date, and wherein the transponder includesinformation related to the specific purchase date of the fiber opticcable.
 34. A device comprising: a fiber optic cable having a fiber opticconnector; a transponder attached to the fiber optic connector; anantenna; and a transceiver electrically connected to the antenna so asto form a reader which is capable of activating and interrogating thetransponder when the transponder is sufficiently close to the antenna,and wherein the fiber optic cable was purchased pursuant to a warranty,and wherein the transponder includes information related to thewarranty.